An appeals court in Santiago, Chile, has ruled to reopen the investigation into the death of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, who passed away days after the country's 1973 military coup. The court's decision comes after Neruda's nephew, Rodolfo Reyes, presented evidence suggesting that the poet may have been poisoned.
Reyes cited forensic tests conducted by experts from Canada, Denmark, and Chile, which revealed the presence of a lethal toxin, Cloristridium botulinum, in Neruda's body. This finding contradicts the official cause of death listed as complications from prostate cancer on Neruda's death certificate.
The ruling overturns a previous judge's decision to dismiss the request for reinvestigation, stating that the new evidence warrants further examination. The court has ordered additional procedures, including a calligraphic analysis of the death certificate and a meta-analysis of the foreign forensic test results.
Pablo Neruda, renowned for his love poems and recipient of the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature, was a prominent figure in Chilean politics and culture. A member of the Communist Party and a close friend of President Salvador Allende, Neruda was deeply affected by the military coup that led to Allende's downfall.
Neruda's planned exile to Mexico was abruptly halted when he was hospitalized in Santiago and subsequently passed away on September 23, 1973. The circumstances surrounding his death have long been a subject of controversy, with suspicions of foul play persisting even after Chile's return to democracy.
In 2013, Neruda's body was exhumed for forensic analysis, which initially yielded inconclusive results. However, subsequent investigations in 2017 revealed traces of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria in Neruda's remains, supporting the theory of possible poisoning.
The court's decision to reopen the case reflects ongoing efforts to uncover the truth behind Neruda's untimely death and seek justice for the revered poet. The legacy of Pablo Neruda continues to captivate the world, with his poetry and political activism leaving an indelible mark on Chilean history.
For more news on Latin America, visit AP's Latin America coverage.
